By
Donald Zuhn —
Last
week, Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) (at right) introduced three bills in the House related
to the labeling of food containing genetically engineered material, the cultivation
and handling of genetically engineered crops, and the establishment of a set of farmer
rights regarding genetically engineered animals, plants, and seeds:
•
The "Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act" (H.R. 5577)
would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Federal Meat
Inspection Act, and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to require that food
that contains a genetically engineered material, or that is produced with a
genetically engineered material, be labeled accordingly. The bill states that "[t]he
process of genetically engineering foods results in the material change of such
foods," and asserts that "Federal agencies have failed to uphold Congressional
intent by allowing genetically engineered foods to be marketed, sold and
otherwise used without labeling that reveals material facts to the public." The bill, which has
been referred to the
House Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Commerce, was co-sponsored by Rep.
Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Barney Frank (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Barbara Lee
(D-CA), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Pete Stark (D-CA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
•
The "Genetically Engineered Safety Act" (H.R. 5578)
would "prohibit the open-air cultivation of genetically engineered
pharmaceutical and industrial crops, . . . prohibit the use of common human food
or animal feed as the host plant for a genetically engineered pharmaceutical or
industrial chemical, . . . establish a tracking system to regulate the growing,
handling, transportation, and disposal of pharmaceutical and industrial crops
and their byproducts to prevent human, animal, and general environmental
exposure to genetically engineered pharmaceutical and industrial crops and
their byproducts, [and] amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with
respect to the safety of genetically engineered foods." Noting that "[m]any of the novel
substances produced in pharmaceutical crops and industrial crops exhibit high
levels of biological activity and are intended to be used for particular
medical or industrial purposes, under very controlled circumstances," and
that "[n]one of these substances is intended to be incorporated in food or
to be spread into the environment," the bill declares that the risks of
contamination "necessitate a zero tolerance standard for the presence of
pharmaceutical crops and industrial crops and their byproducts in crops used to
produce human food or animal feed."
The bill, which has
been referred to the
House Committees on Agriculture and Energy and Commerce, was co-sponsored by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Barney Frank (D-MA),
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Pete Stark (D-CA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
•
The "Genetically Engineered Technology Farmer Protection Act" (H.R.
5579)
would "provide additional protections for farmers and ranchers that may be
harmed economically by genetically engineered seeds, plants, or animals, . . . ensure
fairness for farmers and ranchers in their dealings with biotech companies that
sell genetically engineered seeds, plants, or animals, [and] assign liability
for injury caused by genetically engineered organisms." The bill states that "[p]olicies
promoted by biotech corporations, such as patenting of seeds, depriving farmers
the right to save seed, unreasonable seed contracts, and intrusion into
everyday farm operations, have systematically acted to remove basic farmer
rights enjoyed since the beginning of agriculture and essential for
agricultural sustainability and the survival of family farms," and asserts that "[t]he introduction of genetically engineered crops has also
created obstacles for farmers, including the loss of markets and increased
liability concerns." The
purpose of H.R. 5579 is "[t]o mitigate the abuses upon farmers, a clear
set of farmer rights must be established." Among the rights that would be created by the bill are (1) a requirement for
biotech companies to fully disclose the risks of using genetically engineered
animals, plants, or seeds, and (2) the prohibition of certain terms and limitations
in contracts for the sale of genetically engineered animals, plants, or seeds,
including a provision that would "prohibit[] the purchaser from retaining
a portion of the harvested crop for future crop planting by the purchaser or
that charge[] a fee to retain a portion of the harvested crop for future crop
planting." H.R. 5579 would
allow for a maximum $100,000 penalty to be assessed for violations of the
Act. The bill, which has
been referred to the
House Agriculture, Energy and Commerce, and Judiciary Committees, was co-sponsored by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Barney Frank (D-MA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ),
Barbara Lee (D-CA), Pete Stark (D-CA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
In
a press release posted on Rep. Kucinich's website, the Congressman stated that:
To
ensure we can maximize benefits and minimize hazards, Congress must provide a
comprehensive regulatory framework for all Genetically Engineered
products. Structured as a common-sense
precaution to ensure [Genetically Engineered] foods do no harm, these bills
will ensure that consumers are protected, food safety measures are
strengthened, farmers’ rights are better protected and biotech companies are
responsible for their products.
The
release noted that Rep. Kucinich had introduced similar bills in previous
sessions of Congress.
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